Kids and Screen Time: 6 Negatives Effects You Should Be Wary Of

Kids today are growing up in a world much different from the one their parents are used to.

Almost anywhere and everywhere they turn to, there is a screen waiting for them. Before they turn off the TV at all, they already have their iPads to turn to. That, or they could go surfing the web on their smartphones and/ or laptops.

Of course, it could be argued that such will enable better development for the kids. But, is that enough reason to justify all that screen time? The facts tell otherwise.

Here are some ways by which too much screen time negatively impacts your kids.

Risk of Obesity is Increased

Obesity is not just a function of diet, but the lifestyle of an individual too. To put that in context, an active person will be at a lesser risk of going obese than an individual who is living a sedentary lifestyle.

If there is anything we know about too much screen time, it is how it makes people become sedentary. If your kid exists in this state for too long, they don’t work off all the excess calories in their bodies – and this leads to obesity in the end.

Insomnia Might Be Lurking

It is sometimes argued that good TV time is important for winding down before bed. Science seems to disagree, and for good reason.

The light emitted from the screens of your TV and other devices are composed of UV rays which could interfere with your sleep cycle. Kept at for long enough, the body’s clock starts readjusting itself so much, getting good sleep becomes a problem.

Given how kids are in their developmental stage, they will be highly susceptible to this condition. It goes without saying that insomnia, when it does happen, is a gateway to other sleep-related problems that will negatively impact the health of your kid.

Behavior Is Not Left Out

If your kid has started developing bullying tendencies, that might be because you are letting them watch too much TV. Fortunately, this is not some mere old wives’ tale to get you to limit your kid’s access to screens of any kind.

According to a scientific study, using the computer/ watching TV for more than two hours a day is enough to make your kid develop problems spanning their emotional and social lives. That, and we have not even mentioned the negative impact it has on their attention span too.

Violence Is by The Corner

When your kid has unchecked access to the internet and TV, they are likely to be exposed to many more things than you are aware of. These are, but not limited to, all the violent content that is just waiting to be discovered these days.

At first, they might find it socking and resist it. Over time, though, they are bound to become desensitized to the problem. So desensitized that they also start practicing what they see, to the extent of trying to solve their problems with violence too.

Given how much of an impression can be made on the infant mind, this is a concept that could grow with them into adulthood to cause repercussions of varying degrees.

Educational Impacts

We don’t even need science to explain this one.

As adults, we know how much captivating and interesting the content we watch on the internet and view on our devices can be. So interesting that we can even forget to do other things while we are at it.

Take that feeling, multiply it many times over, and you might have an idea just how much of a hold it can have on your kids.

Left unchecked, they will always have something to do online rather than work on their homework. They will be more interested in what’s on the TV rather than submerge themselves in studies.

At the end of the day, they come home with a report card of all they’ve been doing. Yes – that reflects all the TV they’ve been watching too.

Lack of Quality Relationships

Unchecked screen time could leave you with a kid that is not as socially developed as should be. All the time they should have spent making friends, forming bonds and finding out how the world works has been spent behind a TV/ screen.

Besides hurting the relationship your kid will have with the outside world, it will also put a gulf between you and them. Afterall, the bond they should have formed with you in their formative years have now been made with an inanimate object.

Wrap Up

Even if you would argue for giving your kids’ access to the screens all the time, you cannot argue with reason – it is bad for them!

This does not mean a complete ban from TV and smart devices in the home. Quite the contrary.

What you want to do, on the other hand, is ensure they are spending just enough time around screens, and no more.

Protect your family and kids from inappropriate content and websites with complete parental controls.